TiVo’s ‘Roamio’ DVRs Sing Opera

TiVo is going big with HTML5 via a partnership with Opera Software that will give Opera developers a way to create apps for TiVo’s newly minted Roamio line of DVRs.

TiVo said its integration of the Opera Devices SDK will enable it to deliver Web and HTML5 content to retail customers as well as MSO partners and set the stage to offer apps and content via the Opera TV Store, an HTML5-based storefront with “lean back” apps that are optimized for the TV screen. TiVo plans to deploy the Opera TV Store by “early next year.” YouTube is the first HTML5-based app supported by TiVo’s new Roamio lineup.

Although TiVo’s initial focus with Roamio is retail distribution, the company said operator partners that ship devices based on the Roamio platform will also be able to offer apps and content to customers via the Opera TV Store.

“This combination will prove powerful for Opera and TiVo who both have ambitions to empower the pay-TV operator market with over-the-top (OTT) web content currently available on retail devices,” the companies said.

The partnership will help TiVo to tap into a large developer community. Opera Software said more than 25 million connected TVs and devices shipped with the Opera Devices SDK in 2012, thanks to partnerships with Sony, Toshiba, Philips, TCL, Humax and Boxee (now part of Samsung). It also estimated that “tens of millions” of devices have access to the Opera TV Store.

"Consumers want to watch what they want, when they want it and it's important to offer an easy-to-use interface capturing all the content possible, whether it be from cable TV or the web," said Jim Denney, TiVo’s VP of product marketing, in a statement. "We have selected Opera as a partner in this mission because it enables users in both the operator and retail segments a completely customized experience, along with a wide variety of local, national and global long-tail content and other applications from the Opera TV Store."